The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-05-20
FOoIing with a Panther.

silas Smith, an old pioneer of Wis
eonsin, ''my father removed to this
State from New England and settled
about three miles from Madison. The
place was a village then, and
small one at that, and l remember
once seeing O. deer running down the
main street with a dozen dogs after
him. The road from the village to
our clearing was little better than a
path. There were only two farmers
having oxen and wagons, and so there
was little use for roads. Just at the
edge of the woods outside the village
was log barn belonging to a store
keeper named Roberts. That was the
last building we passed going home,
and the first one come to as we enter
ed the village clearing. From that sta
BILE to my fathers house, three miles,
there was only one break in the forest
and that was only q ten-acre clearing.
"Af"or having passed over the route
several times with my father, | was
permitted to travel it alone whenever
anything was wanted from town. Aft
er time / could have almost follow
ed the trail with my eyes shut, and |
had no fear of wolves and panthers |
heard talked about, because was
told that no wild beast ever attack
ed people by daylight. It was one of
the first days of October that, as /
was about halfway through the woods
on an errand to the village, and the
time being midforenoon, q panther
sprang from the limbs of a larga beech
under which / was passing, and aiiGat-
ed upon the ground beside me. There
was not even growl to warn me OF
his presence, and he dropped down
beside me as softly as a cat and as
good natured as a rabbit. ! had
never heard panther described, and,
while suspected this was one Twas not
sure. He jumped into the path ahead
of me and began to zigzag back and
forth across it, purring all the time
like a cat, and seeming to be highly
pleased when my legs rubbed against
him. / was a bit frightened at first,
but after q few minutes made up my
mind that it was some animal which
would not hurt me, and then we had
romping time. / would clap my hands
and shout sick emf and the panther
would go skurrying here and therelike
a young pup, sometimes rolling over
and over on the leaves, and again
making such leaps and bounds as ex-
cited my admiration. When we came
to level piece of ground ] ran a race
with him, and when he got in the path
ahead OF me seized the tip OF his tail
and hung on and laughed until the
woods rang. On two or three occa-
sions, as the panther was gamboling
about e,he made a clean spring right
over my head.
TWAS only when wereached the edge
of the village clearing that suspected
the identity of my visitor. The near
presence of other human beings seem
ed to anger him, and he snarled
and tore the earth with his
claws. ] Ipatted him on the back and
smoothed his fur, and he began pur-
ring again and was restored to good
nature. He trotted alongside of me
about halfway to the barn / have
mentioned, and then slipped away
into some fallen timber. had been
quite badly frightened for some min
utes, and now seized this chance -
make off My movements were has
tened by the onlinous growing from
the timber. and / walked off at a fast
pace, and was within few steps of
the barn when heard fierce scream
and turned my head and saw the great
cat bounding forward me. The door
OF the barn was partly open, and
EY.ffh aF1 ca oV 10 ,soAao+fn Il
sprang inside and closed it. Before /
could have counted twenty the pan
ther was at hand. Luckily for me it
was a strong rough door, made of
slabs and well put together. The
beast made terrific efforts to get in,
and his sharp claws made the snlint-
ers fly as he set them into the wood.
There was no inside fastening, and I
had to brace with all my might to
prevent his ingress. He was now
worked up into fury, and believe
every hair on my head stood on end
as fought to keep him out.
When the panther found that he
could not get in by the door he
sprung upon the root heard him
as he alighted on the shocks, and,
facing about, saw there was square
hole in the root, left for chimney,
never built. There was nothing TO
prevent him rom leaping down, and
this was just what he intended doing.
I saw his shadow as lie peered over
the edge Of the opening. and / was all
ready as mis- 1.-THE body aiighted on
the floor. In two winks I was out
side and had the door pulled to, and
again he was foiled. He was mad and
no mistake, and, although / was a
young boy and almost upset with
lear, had sense enough left to be on
the watch for him. The caves of the
building were so short that, standing